Years ago while traveling on a business trip with a company executive, we had a lot of driving time that we used to discuss various topics, including business. The executive said something that caught me by surprise. He used the phrase, “trust, but verify.” At the time, I wasn’t really sure what to make of it. It seemed like a contradiction to me. In the context of the discussion, it seemed analogous to “trust, no one.”

It’s no secret that manufacturing struggles with its public image and perception. It’s one of the top reasons why the industry has a hard time attracting young people to its workforce. While solutions to the problem are multifacted and wide-ranging, one way that individual companies can work to improve the industry’s image is by brushing up their efforts in digital marketing and PR.

Money, time, training, risk of change, and lack of opportunity are all roadblocks that have historically stood in the way of advancement for machine shops of every size, shape, and certification level. It takes years for new tech to become widely adopted by the manufacturing industry.

As more and more white papers are written these days about changes in workforce needs and the future of workforce development brought on by disruptions in technology (driven by Industry 4.0, smart manufacturing, etc.), we’re seeing more authors conclude that robotics and automation will be doing away with the majority of low-skilled jobs.

Orders for manufacturing technology climbed month-to-month and year-to-date in December
2017, according to the latest U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders report from AMT – The Association For
Manufacturing Technology. Orders totaled $447 million for the month, up 6% compared to November. At a
cumulative total of $4.5 billion for the year, orders were up 8% compared to the year-end total in 2016. (more)

Orders for manufacturing technology climbed year over year and year to date in November 2017 according
to the latest U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders report from AMT – The Association For Manufacturing
Technology. Orders totaled $425.68 million for the month, up 19.0 percent compared to November 2016. At a
cumulative total of $4.06 billion for the year, orders were up 9.4 percent compared to the same point in 2016.(more)

U.S. Cutting Tool Consumption continued to grow year-to-date in November 2017, showing gains of 8.2 percent compared to the same point in 2016. This was according to data compiled by the latest Cutting Tool Market Report, a collaboration between AMT - The Association For Manufacturing Technology and the U.S. Cutting Tool Institute. (more)

Beckwood has been awarded a contract to manufacture two 13-ton servo-driven electro-mechanical presses for use by a leading footwear manufacturer in a trimming application. The twin 40” x 50” x 158” presses feature a monolithic frame, quick die clamps, 13” of stroke, and a knockout cylinder mounted inside the ram weldment to strip the part after it is trimmed. Cycle times on these machines will average 2.5 seconds or less. (more)

MachineMetrics, a leading industrial IoT (IIoT) and smart manufacturing startup located in Western Massachusetts, today announced that it has been selected as winner of the 2018 “Smart Manufacturing Solution of the Year” award from IoT Breakthrough, an independent organization that recognizes the top companies, technologies and products in the global Internet-of-Things (IoT) market today. (more)

Beckwood Press Company has recently expanded their Engineering Department by 40 percent to meet the exceedingly sophisticated demands of their evolving customer base. Since June 2017, they have added one structural/hydraulic engineer, four electrical/controls engineers, and one drafter. (more)

The CMTSE credential signifies a commitment to continuous professional development. To maintain their designation, Certified Manufacturing Technology Sales Engineers undergo a recertification process, which occurs every three years from the date of passing the exam. (more)